The cleaning device according to the invention is used for quick manual cleaning of spray guns, particularly paint spray guns. During painting processes, changing paint is often necessary. So that no residue from the previous paint or lacquer remains in the spray gun, it is necessary to clean the spray gun when changing paints. In particular, this quick cleaning when changing paints may be performed with the cleaning device according to the invention. After the completion of the painting process, the spray gun is preferably subjected to an intense, full cleaning process that is typically performed in a cleaning machine. Such cleaning machines for the automated intense cleaning of spray guns are known from the state of the art, for example, from DE 201 14 257 U1, WO 02/18061 A1, and EP 1602412 A1.
From DE 201 14 257 U1, a cleaning device for paint spraying devices such as, e.g., paint spray guns, is known that provides a housing for holding the paint spraying devices, wherein the housing has cleaning nozzles and the cleaning nozzles are connected by a hose to a pneumatically operating feed device. The feed device is connected to two containers for holding, respectively, clean and contaminated cleaning fluid. The housing contains a nozzle holder on which the paint spray gun to be cleaned can be placed. For cleaning the paint spray gun, a cleaning fluid that typically contains a solvent is sprayed through nozzles into the paint spray channel of the paint spray gun to free the paint spray channel of paint or lacquer residue. In addition to cleaning the paint spray channel, the spray gun is also cleaned from the outside whereby cleaning fluid is sprayed onto the spray gun via the nozzles. Furthermore, in the cleaning device known from DE 201 14 257 U1, a cleaning brush is provided that is connected by a hose to a pump. This brush is used for manual cleaning of the spray gun, wherein the supply of cleaning fluid to the cleaning nozzles is stopped while cleaning fluid is fed to the cleaning brush. With this cleaning device, the spray gun can be cleaned either automatically or manually with the cleaning brush. In the case of manual cleaning of the spray gun by means of the cleaning brush, however, merely the outer surface of the spray gun is cleaned. The paint spray channel cannot be cleaned in this way.
From EP 1602412 A1, a cleaning device according to the class is similarly known for spray guns in which, for the manual cleaning of the spray gun, a cleaning brush attached to a hose is provided. Also in this known device, only a manual cleaning of the outer surface of the spray gun is performed. Simultaneous cleaning of the paint spray channel of the spray gun cannot be performed in this way.